Using spatial information for dynamic dominant eye shifts

Abstract

Systems and methods for gaze origin selection based on dominant eye shift of a user. Systems and methods described herein include eye tracking devices and computing devices. The first eye is initially set as the dominant eye. A first gaze ray for the first eye and a second gaze ray for a second eye are determined by an eye tracking system. The first gaze ray intersects a first object and the second gaze ray intersects a second object within the field of view, at a first depth and a second depth respectively. A convergence depth of the first gaze ray and the second gaze ray is determined and compared against the first depth and the second depth. When a second offset between the second depth and the convergence depth is smaller than a first offset between the first depth and the convergence depth, the second eye is set as the dominant eye.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method in an eye tracking system for gaze origin selection based on dominant eye shift of a user, comprising:
 receiving position information of a first object and a second object displayed on a display device;   receiving eye tracking data indicating a first gaze ray of a first eye of the user and a second gaze ray of a second eye of the user;   setting the first eye as a dominant eye;   determining that the first gaze ray intersects the first object at a first depth;   determining that the second gaze ray intersects the second object at a second depth;   determining a convergence depth at a convergence of the first gaze ray and the second gaze ray;   determining a first offset between the convergence depth and the first depth;   determining a second offset between the convergence depth and the second depth;   determining that the second offset is smaller than the first offset; and   setting the second eye as the dominant eye based on the second offset being smaller than the first offset.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting the second object based on the second gaze ray after the second eye is set as the dominant eye.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 determining that the second offset is smaller than the first offset comprises determining the second offset plus a first predetermined amount is smaller than the first offset.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that a difference between the first offset and the second offset is larger than an offset difference threshold, wherein setting the second eye as the dominant eye, is further based on the difference being larger than the offset difference threshold.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 setting the first eye as the dominant eye, is based on a user input indicating that the first eye is the dominant eye.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 maintaining the second eye as the dominant eye for a predefined time period.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 setting the first eye as the dominant eye is based on a history indicating that the first eye is the dominant eye based on previous user eye dominance determinations.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that the second offset is less than an offset threshold; and   wherein setting the second eye as the dominant eye is further based on the second offset being less than the offset threshold.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the position information is part of a depth map, the method further comprising:
 restricting the depth map based on physical objects obstructing the first gaze ray and the second gaze ray.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that a difference between the first depth and the second depth is larger than a depth difference threshold, wherein setting the second eye as the dominant eye is further based on determining that the difference between the first depth and the second depth is larger than the depth difference threshold.   
     
     
         11 . A computer system, comprising:
 a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions; and   a processing device communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions and perform operations comprising:
 receiving position information of a first object and a second object displayed on a display device; 
 receiving eye tracking data indicating a first gaze ray of a first eye of a user and a second gaze ray of a second eye of the user; 
 setting the first eye as a dominant eye; 
 determining that the first gaze ray intersects the first object at a first depth; 
 determining that the second gaze ray intersects the second object at a second depth; 
 determining a convergence depth at a convergence of the first gaze ray and the second gaze ray; 
 determining a first offset between the convergence depth and the first depth; 
 determining a second offset between the convergence depth and the second depth; 
 determining that the second offset is smaller than the first offset; and 
 setting the second eye as the dominant eye based on the second offset being smaller than the first offset. 
   
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 selecting the second object based on the second gaze ray after the second eye is set as the dominant eye.   
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein:
 determining that the second offset is smaller than the first offset comprises determining the second offset plus a first predetermined amount is smaller than the first offset.   
     
     
         14 . The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the first predetermined amount comprises a first error of the first offset and a second error of the second offset.   
     
     
         15 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein:
 setting the first eye as the dominant eye is based on a user input indicating that the first eye is the dominant eye.   
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein:
 setting the first eye as the dominant eye is based on a history indicating that the first eye is the dominant eye based on previous user eye dominance determinations.   
     
     
         17 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining that a difference between the first depth and the second depth is larger than a depth difference threshold, wherein setting the second eye as the dominant eye is further based on determining that the difference between the first depth and the second depth is larger than the depth difference threshold.   
     
     
         18 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the position information is part of a depth map, and wherein the operations further comprise:
 restricting the depth map based on physical object obstructing the first gaze ray and the second gaze ray.   
     
     
         19 . The computer system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining that the second offset is less than an offset threshold; and   wherein setting the second eye as the dominant eye is further based on the second offset being less than the offset threshold.   
     
     
         20 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, that upon execution on a system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
 receiving position information of a first object and a second object displayed on a display device;   receiving eye tracking data indicating a first gaze ray of a first eye of a user and a second gaze ray of a second eye of the user;   setting the first eye as a dominant eye;   determining that the first gaze ray intersects the first object at a first depth;   determining that the second gaze ray intersects the second object at a second depth;   determining a convergence depth at a convergence of the first gaze ray and the second gaze ray;   determining a first offset between the convergence depth and the first depth;   determining a second offset between the convergence depth and the second depth;   determining that the second offset is smaller than the first offset; and   setting the second eye as the dominant eye based on the second offset being smaller than the first offset.